Purpose: To study the effect of ion-exchange treatment on the fracture resistance of hot pressable ceramic crown.
Methods: Sixteen cerinate ceramic crowns (shade 2) were prepared. The crowns were manufactured according to the company's recommendations and cemented onto the teeth with resin cement in combination with dentin bonding agent after ion-exchange treated with potassium salt at 450degrees centigrade for 11 hours. The crowns were then loaded in compression to failure. Failure loads were analyzed using SPSS 11.0 software package for one-way ANOVA.
Results: After ion-exchange treatment, the mean fracture resistance of the hot pressable ceramic crown was (2891.4+/-25.3)N. There was significant difference between the experimental and control groups (P<0.01).
Conclusion: Ion-exchange treatment can increase fracture resistance of the cerinate hot pressable ceramic crowns, it may help to increase the clinical reliability of Lucite reinforced ceramic dental restorations.